Most Helpful Tibet Flight FAQs and Tips

There are three kinds of flights you can take to Tibet: non-stop flight, stopover flight and connecting flight. Usually the closer cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Xining, Shangri-La, etc., operate more non-stop flights to Tibet. Farther cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, usually operate some stopover flights and connecting flights.

Is there any international flight to Tibet?

Currently there is only an international air route connected with Tibet: Kathmandu – Lhasa. During summer days, there are daily direct flights operated, sometimes two flights and sometimes just one flight. Only Air China and Sichuan Airlines are operating the Kathmandu - Lhasa flights.

Travelers can go to Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport (IATA: KTM, ICAO: VNKT) is the only airport you can take flights to Tibet. It is only about six kilometers east from the city center of Kathmandu. It has one domestic terminal and one international terminal in the airport. You need to go to international terminal to board the airplane to Lhasa.

There are two available flights from Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport to Lhasa Gonggar Airport. One is 3U8720 operated by Sichuan Airlines departing from Kathmandu at 11:30 (Kathmandu Time) and arriving at Lhasa at 15:10 (Kathmandu Time). The other flight – CA408 operated by Air China takes off at 12:10 (Kathmandu Time) in local time and lands on Lhasa at 16:00 (Kathmandu Time). The fly duration is about 1.5 hours. In the low seasons, there might be less or no daily flights between Kathmandu and Lhasa.

To take a flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa, one will need a Group Visa, Tibet Travel Permit and Tibet Border Pass. Only Tibet travel agency can apply for the permit and pass.

• Chinese visa is always needed no matter you are taking a flight or a train to Tibet. The office man in the airport will check your Chinese visa when you board the plane.
• The passport will be needed for many situations: booking flight ticket, checking in flight, checking in hotel, checking in the Border Station in Tibet, etc. Make sure your passport is valid and original.
• Original Tibet Travel Permit will be checked when you board your plane at the airports. It can only be issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau in Tibet, which makes many travelers call the permit as TTB Permit. With the permit, you can visit Lhasa, Shigatse, Namtso Lake, Everest, Mt Kailash, etc. It usually takes about 15~20 days to obtain the permit (submit application, waiting for approval, receiving the permit).

Tibet has five airports in total. Besides Lhasa Gonggar Airport, there are four smaller prefectural airports - Shigatse Peace Airport, Nyingchi Mainling Airport, Ngari Gunsa Airport and Qamdo Bangda Airport. But only certain cities in China operate flights to these smaller cities.

• Lhasa Gonggar International Airport was chosen by more than 90 percent of flight travelers. It is well connected to the rest cities in China, such as Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Xian, Guangzhou, Kunming, etc.
• Shigatse Peace Airport is about 46km from Shigatse city. It has a daily flight to Chengdu each day in summer and autumn. Recommended for whom wants to end Tibet tour at Shigatse.
• Nyingchi Mainling Airport. Chengdu usually offers 4 morning flights to Nyingchi Mainling Airport. While its neighboring city Chongqing also has 3 morning flights to Nyingchi each day. If you travel from Nyingchi to Lhasa, you are recommended to take a flight to Nyingchi firstly from Chengdu or Chongqing. It is also available to fly out Tibet directly from Nyingchi.
• Qamdo Bangda Airport has flights connected to Chongqing and Chengdu. But there are few travelers have chosen this line because Qamdo is not a popular tourist destination in Tibet.
• Ngari Gunsa Airport is the remotest airport in Tibet. But it is close to Kashgar in Xinjiang which is an important board port for those want to enter China from Middle Eastern countries. There are weekly flights to Ngari from Urumqi and Kashgar.

Lhasa Gonggar Airport is about 60km from Lhasa downtown. It costs about 100~200 CNY to the Barkhor Street area of Lhasa city. Airport shuttle bus is also available, and costs only about 25 CNY. It usually takes about 1~1.5 hours to transfer between the airport and Lhasa downtown.

Tibet Discovery also provides you convenient and comfortable airport pick-up and drop-off services which are usually included in our Tibet tour packages. If you take our group tours, you will enjoy our free airport pick-up and drop-off services which are offered at contain hours.

The flight ticket can be booked at online websites, such as Booking.com, Expedia, Ctrip, Qunar, etc. You can also buy the ticket from the airports in China or flight resellers. You are also welcomed to let us book your flight. We are always keeping up with the latest flight news and usually can book the ticket at a cheaper price. During summer and autumn, it usually gets difficult to book the flights to Lhasa. While using our booking service, we will not only book the ticket, but also arrange a valuable tour package.

How do I receive my flight ticket?

Since most flight tickets are booked online, so firstly you will receive an e-ticket. You will change a paper ticket when you checking in your flight at a counter in the airport.

Generally speaking, months from April to October are recommended for traveling in Tibet. Other months are usually very cold, and possibly have heavy snow, especially in regions like Mount Everest, Mount Kailash, Namtso Lake, etc. The flights schedules are also more frequent during April to October. During December to March, the airline companies will cut down the flight schedules, usually from daily weekly, even to none. But top cities like Chengdu and Xian still operate daily flights during the shoulder season. It is recommended to take the morning flight so that you can get to Lhasa before late afternoon, and have enough time to acclimatize yourself to the altitude and thin air in Lhasa. The morning flights also cut down the risk that your flights would be delayed or canceled.